The Film Daily (1930)

-. JZfr* DAILY Tuesday, June 10, 193 Warner Talent Bureau Divided in 6 Departments Newly Created Office to Place Film and Stage Performers All talent placing activities of Warner Bros, will be concentrated in the newly established talent bureau of the company in the Warner Bldg., at 321 West 44th St. This booking office, under the supervision of Walter Meyers, will be divided into six departments, namely, talking pictures (both features and shorts), musical comedies, stage presentations for de luxe houses, electrical transcriptions, radio broadcasts, vaudeville and Brunswick records. Harold Kemp and Steve Trilling will have charge of the vaudeville and stage presentations, which formerly were handled through the Warner office at 1560 Broadway. Meyers, who has been appointed by Herman Starr to the post of executive manager, will act for all the affiliated companies of Warner Bros, and will facilitate the placing of talent for every form of stage and picture production in which Warners engage. A comprehensive system of booking, devised by J. L. Warner, will be in operation, so that at short notice stars may be recruited for either stage, screen or broadcasting engagements. Columbia Convention Flashes PATHE MANAGEMENT WINS OVER PROTECTIVE CROUP (Continued from Page 1) half of the protective committee, told THE FILM DAILYthat a court order will be sought with view of examining the company's books. Eight per cent preferred stockholders' directors elected were: Lester D. Burton, E. B. Derr, Richard C. Hunt, Lewis Innerarity, Jeremiah Milbank, C. J. Scollard, Charles A. Stone and Elisha Walker. Stone of Troy, N. Y., is a new member of the board, filling the vacancy caused about one year ago owing to resignation of Colvin W. Brown. Preference A stock directors named are: George Armsby, Frank Callahan, Paul Fuller Jr., and Joseph P. Kennedy. Common stock directors elected are: J. J. Murdock, Huntington D. Sheldon and Stuart Webb. Scollard presided at the gathering, held nn the fifth floor at 25 West 45th St. The first test of strength came on the motion to proceed with the balloting. Following the election Sydney Cohen said that perhaps the company's officials "hare been too reticient to offset negative reports and asked for a vote of confidence, which was affirmed although there were considerable noes registered. Attorney Ellwood M. Rabenold, representing the protective committee, gave a resume of Pathe's financial history in which he criticized the current management for its administration during the past two or three years. Chicago THE convention in the gat metropolis is over, and the boys are now well on the way to Hollywood. The program wound up with an analysis of the Superior Twenty by Joe Goldberg, and Hal Hodes doing as much for the short product. Joe Gallagher kicked in with a talk on advertising and publicity followed by a talk on sales policies by Goldberg. * * * The grand finale took the usual form of a banquet and show. Oh, yes, they took group photographs according to that old convention custom originally invented to prove to the wives back home that you really did attend the convention. . . there seems no other reason for them. * * * Joe Brandt was busy in a huddle with himself in a corner, and when he walked away he dropped a piece of paper which somebody picked up. Here's what was written on it: S — Stamina to get right prices. A — Action at all times in the right direction. L — Loyalty to your product and organization. E — Enthusiasm in believing you have the best product. S — Strength of character in fair dealing. M — Mental tenacity in demanding and getting play dates. \ — Acumen in business dealings. N — Never believing any product better than Columbia pictures. A. H. (Indianapolis) Kaufman was convinced that the rain here was engineered by some rival company, but it didn't cramp his style any. That guy has the greatest enthusiasm for-er-oh, many things. * * * A. W. (Detroit) .Bowman is positive that Florence Healy, Chicago's entry in the "Miss Columbia" contest, is queen of 'em all. * * * C. W. Phillips said the Chicago boys were so uneasy when they took a flashlight because they weren't sure whether it was a backfire or a holdup. On the other hand, E. Johnson, who lives in "Chi," sez there is nothing to worry about because if you really are shot you never hear the shot that hit you. * * * And after looking at those flashlight photos, a lotta birds will have a tough time explaining to their wives that it REALLY was a convention. * * * J. A. Kraker of Milwaukee was caught using a fine screen strainer on his beer because someone told him the Chi brew was "needled." * * * J. J. (Memphis) Rogers found a card in the south ballroom which read: "Bar Goods Group Meeting." He rushed out with it to show the boys. "By golly, he exclaimed, "Chicago's speakeasy guys hold conventions now I" \ BOUND FOR COAST SESSIO Pemberton Finds Hollywood Tough Grind for Writers Chicago — With the wind-up of trl local Columbia convention, Jcl Brandt, Joe Goldberg, J. H. Gall; gher. Rube Jackter, Morris Safi< and Hal Hodes, all of the home o: fice, are on their way to Hollywoo for the two-day session to be hel June 12 and 13 at the Rooscve Hotel. Jack Cohn and Henri Brunet wi not attend the Coast meeting. The) have returned to New York. Ben Marcus Gets Prize Minneapolis — Ben Marcus, Ioce branch manager for1 Columbia, wa presented by Jack Cohn with platinum watch on the closing da of the company's convention in Chi cago. The prize was awarded b; Columbia in recognition of the effii cient and progressive manner ii which Marcus has put his office ove the top in sales. (Continued from Page 1) Schumann-Heink for Roxy Mme Ernestine Schumann-Heink, famous contralto, is on her way East from the coast to make her first appearance in a picture house on Friday at the Roxy. Dishonorable," which will be made into a talker next season under his supervision. Pemberton, in an interview with THE FILM DAILY, said picture producers are having a difficult time finding good material, and that really first-rate material has become more essential than ever due to the way the talkers have elevated the tastes of theatergoers. Speaking in the light of his Hollywood visit, Pemberton said: "The silent picture represented little art, taste or intelligence. In a quarter of a century of photoplay making the industry created less than a dozen pictures worthy of consideration from any intellectual standpoint. This goes for all nations including the Scandinavian. "The talking picture, even in its lowest form, represents a certain amount of brains. A dumb image could be ignored by a dropping of the eyelids, but no amount of fingerstopping can kill the sound of dumb dialogue. "A distinguished American dramatist gave a dinner recently in Hollywood in hnnor of a visiting British playwright. Fifty-four authors, all writers of repute, were his guests and in the shop-talk that naturally filled the whole evening it developed that not an author was happy in Hollywood. The British author contracted to write a picture but a week later, to the consternation of his new employer, he was London-bound. He would write the story at his convenience, he left word; he couldn't write under pressure. "The Englishman was Frederich Lonsdale; the host, Arthur Richman. "Good plays are generally written on inspiration, not on order. The good dramatist, if he is worth his weight in royalties, is a sensitive soul who cannot work undet the lash. Most of the 54 dramatists and many of their comrades doing time in Hollywood will be back on Broadway before Ions". All will have money; some will be unbroken; more will be shattered for months to come. "The silent picture was more narrative than dramatic. The talkie is more dramatic than narrative, though some of the more backward manufacturers don't know it yet. Narrative literature is more easily written than dramatic. There are a limited number of situations in dramatic literature. The successful dramatist is he who takes these age-old situations and twists them into new shapes. Where are the writers skillful enough to give the necessary twists for talkie sufficient to fill the theaters of ten major producing companies fifty-two weeks in the year? "The talkies have done the legitimate stage a great service by exterminating the inept and inexpert play and production. They Equity May Abandon Coast Unionization (.Continued from Page 1) applications and probably imposij severe fines on them. Recent adoption of the new play] ers' agreement through the Academy of M. P. Arts and Sciences is regarded as one of the principal fac-j tors behind the lack of interest] among suspended players in rejoin! ing Equity. This contract embodie? many of the principles for which Equity battled and is believed tc have been brought about largely as a means of warding off future attempts by Equity to round up the Hollywood players. Enrollment of new members in Hollywood also is reported at a low ebb. At Equity's annual meeting last month, the Hollywood matter was mentioned merely in a routine way in the president's report and no interest was manifest with regard to a resumption of activities. Fox First in Baseball Fox has taken top place in th| Motion Picture Baseball League by beating RKO, 12-11, in a 12-inning game. Bender and Schultz pitched for RKO, while Weiner and Gans were on the mound for Fox. Rain caused the Warner-Columbia game to be postponed to later in the season. RKO is second in the League standing, with Warner third and Columbia fourth. have likewise made this type of product impossible for themselves. Hereafter the expert stage play and the intelligent talkie will survive side by side. AH others musl perish. The public wins."